27 Plants and Fruits You Can Grow in Water

Thinking about growing plants in water?

You’ve come to the right place.

Starting a garden can be a daunting task - but what if you could start a bountiful garden just from what you have in your refrigerator?

When you start plants from fruits and vegetables that can be grown in water, this can easily be done learning how to grow a plant from a cutting in water is easy - you just have to pick the right plants!

These are some of the easiest plants and fruits to grow with leftover pieces at home.

Jump to:

• 27 Plants and Fruits That Grow in Water
• 1. Garlic
• 2. Lemongrass
• 3. Sweet Potatoes
• 4. Marjoram
• 5. Rosemary
• 6. Lettuce
• 7. Peppers
• 8. Carrots
• 9. Pineapple
• 10. Lavender
• 11. Avocado
• 12. Mint
• 13. Celery
• 14. Spinach
• 15. Potatoes
• 16. Bok Choy
• 17. Mangoes
• 18. Cabbage
• 19. Ginger
• 20. Tomatoes
• 21. Parsnips
• 22. Cucumbers
• 23. Basil
• 24. Beets
• 25. Onions
• 26. Fennel
• 27. Leeks
• Why Should You Grow Plants in Water?

27 Plants and Fruits That Grow in Water

1. Garlic

Garlic can be tough to grow outside, but luckily, it’s easy to learn how to grow garlic in water. All you need to do is place a clove with some green sprouts into a glass of water. Make sure the water is roughly the same level as the clove. As soon as the sprouts are three or four inches tall, you can remove a third of the shoot and use it right away.

2. Lemongrass

Lemongrass is super easy to grow in water. All you need to do is remove everything except two or three inches of the stalk before placing it in about half an inch of water. It will regrow from the center out and can then be transplanted into your vegetable or herb garden.

3. Sweet Potatoes

Yes, you can even teach yourself how to grow sweet potatoes in water! To do this, you will need to cut the potato in half and suspend it above the water using toothpicks. Make sure half of the potato is submerged.

Position your jar in bright light - as soon as the roots are about four inches long, you can remove them and place them in water. Once they grow another inch, you can replant them in the soil.

4. Marjoram

Marjoram is a delicious herb that is easy to grow in water. It takes a bit of time, but all you need to do is set your cuttings in a glass of water. Keep the bottom portion submerged. Put your cuttings on the windowsill and change out the water regularly.

5. Rosemary

Rosemary takes a bit of time to set roots, but once you get it going, you’ll have all the summary you could ever want. Since it has a somewhat woody stem, it’s much easier to keep rosemary upright when you’re growing it from a cutting.

To grow rosemary in water, just place the cuttings in a sunny location somewhere within your house.

6. Lettuce

Ah, lettuce - the kitchen staple! This plant is easy to grow in water as long as you pick the right kind of lettuce. Simply place the dish of lettuce in direct sunlight with about half an inch of water inside. You can put the dish in bright sunlight and you’ll have fresh lettuce leaves in no time - just make sure you change the water every other day.

7. Peppers

Even peppers can be regrown in water! All you need to do is save a cutting from the lower half of a plant, put a drinking glass filled with water on your windowsill and then cover it - and the cutting - with plastic wrap. This will create a warm, humid environment. The cutting should be sitting almost all the way on the bottom of the glass and kept in indirect sunlight. You will need to replant as soon as the roots begin to develop.

8. Carrots

Want to know how to grow carrots in water? It’s incredibly easy.

Technically, you can’t grow carrots themselves in water, since they are root vegetables that need some soil in order to put out healthy growth. However, you can easily grow the leafy carrot tops in water by lacing the cut top pieces of carrots in a shallow bowl of water. Just make sure you change the water every other day - you’ll have leaves in no time.

9. Pineapple

Want to know how to grow a pineapple in water? It’s incredibly easy to do. You will eventually need to transplant the pineapple to a soil medium, but you can start with water and a bit of leftover pineapple.

You just need to cut off some of the leafy portion of the fruit - but try not to cut directly into any part of the fruit. Put some toothpicks into the cutting and hang it over the water. Position your pineapple planter in a warm room and change out your water regularly. You can replant the cutting into soil as soon as new roots appear.

10. Lavender

Lavender is another easy plant to grow in water. To do this, you’ll just take a cutting from a plant. Your cutting should include the lower three to five sets of leaves. Place the bottom of the cutting into rooting hormone. You may need to put some rocks into the bottom of the container to keep the cutting upright, too. Rosemary is a perennial evergreen shrub, so you won't have to plant it ever again! Check out these other perennial veggies and herbs for more frugal ideas.

11. Avocado

Plenty of people want to know how to grow avocado seed in water - and while you can’t grow the fruit directly, you can start your own crop of fruits by growing your own avocado tree.

To do this, you will just need to remove the pit from an avocado and clean it thoroughly. Insert toothpicks into the bottom of the pit and suspend it in a dish of water. About half the pit should be submerged. Set your avocado jar on a windowsill and change the water frequently. As soon as your plant is seven inches tall, you can replant it into soil.

12. Mint

Want to know how to grow mint indoors in water? It’s easy to do - and there’s plenty of reasons to consider doing it, too. Mint has a variety of culinary and medicinal purposes. It is cooling and easy to grow in water - all you have to do is place the cuttings in water with the bottom portion submerged. Make sure the plant stays in a well-lit location and change the water every couple of days.

13. Celery

Look up plants that you can regrow in water, and you’ll find tons of articles dealing with how to grow celery in water. All you need is a bowl of water and the base of the stalk. Put the stalk in a shallow dish of warm water before placing it on the windowsill. Make sure you change the water every day, and as soon as the leaves appear, you can move it to a pot of soil.

14. Spinach

Spinach grows best in a container of water, since it likes to be kept relatively moist. All you have to do is place a few rock wool cubes with spinach seeds into a small container with an inch or two of water. As soon as the seedlings start putting out roots, you will want to transplant them to another container with soil.

15. Potatoes

To grow a potato in water, all you have to do is poke a few toothpicks about halfway into a potato half. Put the halves into a shallow container of water. The cut portion should be facing down. Roots will develop within just a few days, at which point you can transplant your cuttings to soil.

16. Bok Choy

Bok choy isn’t a vegetable that every gardener has in his garden, but it’s easy to grow in water if you’re seeking a low-maintenance approach. This veggie is high in vitamins and minerals and can easily be grown in just a tiny bowl of water.

17. Mangoes

You can even figure out how to grow a mango seed in water! All you need to do is cut a husk open with a knife. Remove any excess fruit and take out the seed. The seed looks somewhat like a lima bean.

You’ll put the seed, with the rounded side up, in some water. Leave it there until it starts to sprout - it can take up to three weeks, as soon as it sprouts, go ahead and plant it in a peat pot. Then you can transplant it.

18. Cabbage

Cabbage is another easy plant to grow in water. To do this, you just need to cut the bottom of the head off the plant and put it into a shallow bowl of water. Replace it every few days and be sure to cut the leaves back regularly for the most tender growth.

19. Ginger

Don’t worry - figuring out how to grow ginger in water is pretty easy, too.

However, the trick to doing so successfully is that you must root it in compost first as soon as the leaves and stems start to appear in the ginger root, put it in a special container designed for hydroponic growing.

20. Tomatoes

Tomatoes can easily be grown in nothing more than water. As long as the environment is warm and sunny, your cuttings should take root in no time. Once they start putting out roots, make sure you transplant them into soil.

21. Parsnips

Like carrots, parsnips can also be grown in water. You’ll follow the exact same steps as you would for the parsnip’s orange cousin - just make sure you transplant the parsnips to dirt later on if you want to enjoy a full harvest of the savory tubers.

22. Cucumbers

If you need the perfect accompaniment to the tomatoes you grew in water, why not grow some cucumbers? All you need is a large bucket, ideally one that is designed specifically for growing cuttings in water.

23. Basil

Learning how to grow basil in water is simple. Lal you need to do is put your cuttings into a container filled with water, ideally in bright sunlight. You will need to take these cuttings before your basil plant starts to flower. Change the water every few days and make sure the
cutting remains in bright sunlight.

24. Beets

Like carrots, beets can’t technically be grown in water. However, you can easily grow the beet greens, which taste delicious in a salad. All you need to do is cut off the top third of a beet, put the top into a container on the windowsill with the cut side facing down. change your water every few days and you’ll be able to harvest and enjoy the greens as they grow.

25. Onions

It’s even possible to learn how to grow onion in water! All you have to do is place the onions in a clear jar, root end down. Put just enough water in the container to cover up the roots. Change your water every other day and put the glass in a window that is well-lit.

26. Fennel

Fennel is technically an herb but looks a lot like a carrot when it’s being grown in the ground. It’s the leafy green growth of this plant that is prized most by growers. To cultivate your own in water all you have to do is remove the bottom inch of the plant. The roots should stay intact, put the plant in a small bowl of water. Fresh fennel in no time!

27. Leeks

Another plant that you can grow that is closely related to the onion is the leek. These can be grown in a similar fashion to noise - you will just need to plant the leeks root-down in a shallow glass that’s filled up with water. Put your glass on the windowsill and change the water every couple of days.

Why Should You Grow Plants in Water?

There are plenty of reasons to give “water gardening” a try. Whether you’re regrowing plants from cuttings in a simple glass jar on your windowsill or you want to invest in a fancy hydroponic setup, making the most of your fruit and vegetable scraps is smart for several reasons.

Not only is it absolutely free, in many cases - all you need is water and some time! - but it also can cut substantially down on your grocery budget. Plus, you won’t have to spend money on seeds or plants - sounds like a win-win!

Growing plants and fruits in water are easy and it’s a great way to spend an afternoon. Give some of these choices a try!